sa7bi صاحبي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sa7bi” (صاحبي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning my friend, my buddy.
Meanings
- my friend, my buddy
- mate, buddy (form of address)
- my boyfriend
Usage
Sa7bi is the possessive form of sa7b. Literally, it refers to a specific friend: "mchit m3a sa7bi". Very often it serves as a familiar form of address, preceded by "a": "a sa7bi", equivalent to "my man" or "dude", even with a stranger. Said by a girl, "sa7bi" can mean "my boyfriend" in the romantic sense, which creates misunderstandings. The feminine is sa7bti. The plural is s7abi (my friends). The register is informal but neutral.
Example
مخيت مع صاحبي
mxit m3a sahbi
“I went off with my friend.”
Forms
| feminine | Sa7bti |
|---|---|
| plural | S7abi |
| feminine plural | S7abati |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa7bi” but also “sahbi”, “saahbi” and “sahbe”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “sa7bi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my friend, my buddy”; “buddy (casual address)”: sahbi in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my friend, my mate”; “my boyfriend”: sa7bi in Tunisian.